The present invention relates generally to delivery of multi-function financial services and more particularly to an improved system and method for providing multi-function financial services to a visually impaired user through an ATM or a CAT.
Federal law, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), have resulted in growing emphasis in providing services to disabled individuals. Often times, this increased emphasis provides modifications to modern devices of convenience such that disabled individuals are able to enjoy the benefits of such devices.
One of the modern devices of convenience is the automated teller machine (ATM) or customer access terminal (CAT), which allows individuals to conduct financial transactions at any time without having to visit a bank. Such devices are widely used by the general population.
However, ATMs and CATs have not proven themselves useful to visual impaired people (VIP) because one of the primary means of communication using such devices is through screen displays which provide information from the financial institution and solicit information from the customer of the financial institution.
To assist visually impaired individuals, a variety of approaches have been developed that assist such disabled people to use an ATM or CAT.
For example, WO 98/27533 to Citicorp Development Center discloses an ATM using a combination of a touch screen and audio instructions in order to facilitate use of the machine by a blind customer. In addition, JP 62-186359 describes an ATM comprising a touch panel with four switches that when activated, in various combinations, represents transaction information. U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,183 to Fukatsu discloses an ATM comprising a voice output unit which provides an operation guide, in combination with a display, for customers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,542 to Kubo et al. discloses an ATM with a visual guidance display and an aural guidance unit which provide verification to a visually handicapped user that transactions are completed properly. U.S. Pat. No. 5,185,515 to Nishibe discloses an ATM comprising a touch screen guidance panel and audio guidance. U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,189 to Cragun discloses an ATM which facilitates use by a visually impaired user by incorporating a touch screen display with tactile markings and aural feedback while browsing through various transaction screens on the display. U.S. Pat. No. 5,589,855 to Blumstein et al. discloses an ATM with a touch screen. A visually impaired user is directed either with Braille or audible cues to perform a sequence of steps, including contact with the touch screen, to execute a transaction. U.S. Pat. No. 5,895,903 to Abe et al. discloses an electronic wallet or terminal for a portable financial IC card. Visually impaired users and seeing users benefit from visual guidance on a display or audio guidance through an earphone or small speaker.
While these approaches have provided additional assistance to visually impaired individuals, the conventional approaches have not addressed the confidential and sensitive nature that can be present during a financial transaction by means of an ATM or a CAT. Specifically, when such a user inserts a headset into the appropriate port on the ATM, the auditory output from the ATM is automatically transferred from the ATM speakers to the headset. However, these conventional systems for the visually impaired do not notify the financial transaction application that the visually impaired mode has been selected. Further, the system does not offer any protection such that were the headset to become unplugged inadvertently, that the auditory output from the ATM wouldn""t revert back to the speakers.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a convenient way for a visually impaired individual to conduct a financial transaction at an ATM or CAT, while maintaining the confidential aspects of the information.
It is a feature and advantage of the present invention to provide an improved system and method for providing multi-function financial services to a visually impaired user through an ATM or a CAT.
It is a further feature and advantage of the present invention to provide a system and method for providing multi-function financial services to a user through an ATM or a CAT with an improved account information user interface, which supports visually impaired users.
It is another feature and advantage of the present invention to provide a system and method for providing multi-function financial services to a user through an ATM or a CAT with improved transfers functionality, which supports visually impaired users.
It is a still further feature and advantage of the present invention to provide a system and method for providing multi-function financial services to a user through an ATM or a CAT with improved investments functionality, which supports visually impaired users.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a system and method for providing multi-function financial services to a visually impaired user such that the application may identify a visually impaired user by the use of a headset rather than explicitly tagging the visually impaired user through some external means such as information in the database of the financial institution or information on the user""s ATM card.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a system and method for providing multi-function financial services to a visually impaired user such that information being communicated between the visually impaired user and the financial institution would be maintained in confidence.
To achieve the stated and other features, advantages and objects, an embodiment of the present invention provides an improved system and method for providing multi-function financial services to a user through an ATM or a CAT, which supports visually-impaired users and adds functionality related, for example, to account information, bill payment, transfers, and investments. In this system and method for providing multi-function financial services to a visually impaired user through an ATM or a CAT, when a visually impaired user plugs his headset into an appropriate port on ATM or CAT, a signal is transmitted to the financial transaction software application, which software application program then signals the ATM or CAT or transfer the auditory output from the speakers of the ATM to the headset port of the ATM or CAT. Because the transfer of the auditory out put from the speakers to the headset port occurred under the control of the financial software application, it can determine when to transfer the auditory output back from the headset port to the speakers, such as at the conclusion of a transaction session, rather than when the headset becomes unplugged.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the invention.